I've already attended a Spey casting clinic and now I'm just about ready to buy some gear. With a little more advice I'll be ready to make my decisions. So here goes:

I already have the Derek Brown Video and the Steelhead Dreams book and intend to purchase the Rio video. Any recommendations for other books on Spey fishing?

The rivers I intend to fish are the Oconto, Pestigo, and Escanaba. As a beginer, for those rivers, would you recommend my first rod be a 13' or 14'' and why?

For the above rivers how important is an interchangable tip line? Will I have much use for sinking lines on these rivers? Why does a line come with two floating tips? Is the drift in Spey indicator fishing the same as regular fly fishing.

Can someone explain the basic differences between Skagitt (sp?), Traditional and European Spey casting?

How can I tell if a reel blances on a rod? Is their a weigth ratio? A defined balance point? Or is this one of those Zen things accomplished only by feel?

Would it be wise or tiresome to post some of these same questions under different categories on the forum?

I know lots of folks get bored with newbies but a guy's gotta start somewhere.